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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24388147">Some Things Aren't Better Late Than Never</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xx_Kira141_xX/pseuds/Xx_kira161_xX'>Xx_kira161_xX (Xx_Kira141_xX)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Between a Rock and a Hard Place [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dr. STONE (Anime), Dr. STONE (Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Gen, Gen is not a happy baby :(, Gen is technically the only character, I may continue idk, I mention Sengen but it doesn't actually happen, I'm Sorry, I'm not really sure what tags would suit this, M/M, Most of the characters are just minor mentions, No Dialogue, Not Canon Compliant, This started as a vent but i liked it so i carried on, depends on what you all think i guess, i don't want to say much bc of spoiling the whole thing, i hope people read the tags, i might continue this, it'll make sense if you read it - Freeform, sort of character death?, this is literally just Gen in his brain being sad, this isn't very happy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:34:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,124</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24388147</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xx_Kira141_xX/pseuds/Xx_kira161_xX</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Gen had known he was intrigued by Senku ever since he’d found that date carved into the bark of a tree.<br/>He’d been conscious of a growing fondness, an infatuation, following the day they’d met.<br/>Only now was he realising he had been in love from the night in the observatory.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Asagiri Gen/Ishigami Senkuu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Between a Rock and a Hard Place [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1763938</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Some Things Aren't Better Late Than Never</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is like,,, around chapter 133? But i took a lot of artistic license,, so basically pretend it changed before that so this works thanks.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Gen had known he was intrigued by Senku ever since he’d found that date carved into the bark of a tree.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>April 1st 5738</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>What kind of mind managed to stay conscious and aware of the date from the moment they were petrified? Who immediately assesses the situation, with such calm awareness that allows them to know exactly what to do? Who immediately thinks to start </span>
  <em>
    <span>counting</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What incredible person caused the rush of adrenaline Gen experienced through the basic concept of them? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That moment when he’d read those etched words, where the world around him wasn’t important, and the only thing that mattered was this high-schooler that had changed the fate of humanity with a few split second decisions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No one had ever stopped his thoughts like that before, taken over his mind like that, or made him feel so… much. He wanted to feel it again and again and again, over and over, as many times as he possibly could. He wanted to meet this boy, he wanted to let his life be taken over by him, he wanted to </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d been conscious of a growing fondness, an infatuation, following the day they’d met.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ishigami Senku.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d known the name before, obviously. Tsukasa had told him all about the man willing to die for science (or pretend to, now it seemed) but putting a face to it was something else. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was honestly quite gorgeous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was very attractive. literally. Gen couldn’t stay away. The cola was just another reason. And a cover reason. He wasn’t about to admit he was staying because he thought Senku was </span>
  <em>
    <span>cute</span>
  </em>
  <span>. (It wasn’t the only reason. He swears it’s so)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he didn’t regret it.</span>
  <span> Spending time with Senku made him aware that his mind was </span>
  <em>
    <span>more</span>
  </em>
  <span> amazing than he’d realised on that first day. He was incredible. A vessel of such vast knowledge, more than Gen even knew existed. It made Gen want to see it all play out, listen to every ounce of data stored in that one beautiful mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not to mention his </span>
  <em>
    <span>kindness</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He hid it well - behind “Recruiting members for The Kingdom of Science” - but it was there. Everything he did benefited someone in some way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything about him was </span>
  <em>
    <span>perfect</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Only now was he realising he had been in love from the night in the observatory.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot</span>
  </em>
  <span> of shared contact that night, hardly on purpose. It was midwinter in a world with no other way to keep warm (until Senku created one). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gen didn’t remember exactly what words were shared but he remembered the context. Senku rambling about the stars and the constellations and everything he knew about space - which was probably everything humanity had known about space. Senku wouldn’t have missed even a millimetre of information. And Gen had listened. Clearly he hadn’t taken any of it </span>
  <em>
    <span>in</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but he had listened and contributed because he loved hearing Senku talk and he wanted to hear more of it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were so close, pushed together next to the telescope, in order to both see if they needed to, arms and shoulders pressed tightly up against the other. Gen realised how </span>
  <em>
    <span>much</span>
  </em>
  <span> that had made him feel. The raised heart rate, the increased body temperature. He was pretty certain he had been flushed, too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was one really oblivious move on Gen’s behalf to not have realised sooner.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They had slept in a similar way, sharing the same blanket, backs close - probably not facing each other for the sake of some masculinity. Maybe Gen regretted that. Maybe he wanted to see Senku’s sleeping face, observe up close every detail of him. He wouldn’t now, after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t remember now, how Senku had smelt. He wanted to know, to engrave that one piece of information in his mind. It was probably something burning, or some chemical. Perhaps it changed depending on what Senku had been working with. That was likely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gen wanted to know what Senku smelt like at the end of each day, to be with him at the end of each day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gen hated idioms. He didn’t know why, he just always had.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>perhaps it had been a premonition for this moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The words </span>
  <em>
    <span>better late than never</span>
  </em>
  <span> flashing through his mind as he realised just how enamoured he was by the genius twenty year old.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It made his blood boil.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he felt the darkness closing in, the press of fading consciousness, a sense of absolute despair, those words would not leave him alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>How was this better late than never? When all hope for humanity was lost, when that last ray of light had disappeared beneath the horizon. When he knew he’d never see him ever again?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d seen the petrification reach Senku. Seen how the final drops of miracle fluid fell from his grasp, how so many thoughts, calculations, experiments and creations were put to waste.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>How his last chance at finally living without regrets was lost.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Thereupon the petrification was secured shut through whatever science made this thing work and the world was hidden from him for what was probably eternity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had been four years since Senku had first broken free of the stone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The first time they’d met had baffled Gen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Senku was a man who had counted every second since the world had been turned to stone, and had worked out the exact date he had broken free, that was already enough to fascinate Gen. Yet he also managed to create so many gateways to the modern world with nothing but nature’s accessible resources, and to entice everyone around him into supporting his goal and helping him reach it - including Gen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had made his Foxtail Ramen, not for any reason other than for the villagers who wanted something new (in order to have them work for him, but we’re trying to paint him in a good light here), he spent months working on the cure-all sulfa drug for a woman he hadn’t even met until it was nearly finished, and who he had no need to save. (He did later want information from her - but not initially!)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Senku was a kind person. He did things that helped people, half from the goodness of his heart, half from needing man-power to bring back modern society - 100% not for himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He motivated everyone around him just by being logical and efficient.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He said it was just the side-effects of science. Gen knew it was the side-effects of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Senku</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had no idea how he did it and he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>enthralled</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This man had the world in his hands and he used it perfectly. He took everything thrown his way and twisted it to be advantageous to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukasa’s massive army is likely to attack us? Time to make a phone to gather information on their camp. Oh by the way, this will become incredibly handy at many points in the future.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chrome was kidnapped and we need to rescue him? Time to build a whole car! We will also use this many times again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wanted to laugh. Thinking about Senku made this slightly easier. When he wasn’t thinking about the bleakness of the situation and the fact that he was trapped in his mind forever, with no possible way to escape, and would never get to see him again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ah.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This was probably the equivalent of one seeing their life pass in the seven minutes before brain death.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course that doesn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually</span>
  </em>
  <span> happen. There’s some visions as such, the brain releases dimethyltryptamine and causes hallucinations, generally recounted as ‘seeing the light’ or such. It also lasts less than a minute. The brain would normally begin to die within 5 minutes of oxygen starvation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, that was one theory. There was still no conclusive evidence, although the research into it had been increasing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, Mirai would be an interesting example. Returning from a state of brain-death through revival from the petrification. That </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>interesting, actually. Something that had never happened before. Did Senku know much about the human brain? He probably did. Was there anything Senku didn’t know about? That would have been fun to talk about. A conversation he could keep up with, that he could share his knowledge about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hadn’t remembered anything the last time he was encased in stone. That was likely to do with him not knowing anything about the petrification then. He had succumbed to the constant drag of unconsciousness in an instant, just like every other member of society. So now he was aware of what was happening, it was different.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Or he was being a sentimental idiot with the light of day gone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not everyone had succumbed last time though.That one incredible mind that never gave up, counting for all those days and weeks and months and years, with no reason to hope that he would break free... (as well the unwavering persistence and love of one big oaf)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gen wondered if he could pull that off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ha. He would have been laughing at his own stupidity - if he could fucking move. What a dumb notion, as if he could put up with himself for more than an hour.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Being stuck in his mind was the </span>
  <em>
    <span>worst</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His mind sucked</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The damn scientist had been the only thing on his mind since Tsukasa had broken him free from the stone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After all, the only purpose for his revival was sneaking into the village and finding out if Senku was alive or not. The first thing Tsukasa had told him was so. He really had no principle in this stone world other than being a cheap spy, or a worthless labourer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Occasionally the team used his petty tricks and magic to deceive an opponent. Otherwise he was unnecessary.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>God he wanted to cry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was nothing to distract him here. Just him and his thoughts and the unending misery of eternity. Oh and some nice, cold hard stone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Senku had always been able to distract him from himself. He hadn’t been aware of that fact. As if Gen would tell anyone how much he hated himself. Or perhaps he had known, but, in a tactful move to protect Gen’s sense of security, had avoided saying anything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Whenever he was having a bad day or found his mind wandering into unwanted territory, he would make his way to Senku. Whether it was their home, the lab or the observatory, Senku would always have something to take Gen’s mind away from the thoughts that haunted him. No matter how much he complained about the hard work or put on an airheaded act, he was grateful for the work, or the talking, the information, or just Senku’s presence. It all made a difference.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He missed Senku</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The darkness was clinging to him. Gripping at the realness around him and tearing it apart, shredding the sense of actuality into pieces. He felt reality drifting further away. What if he just let it?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wanted to remember Senku and his friends more. All the time they had spent together in Ishigami Village, as members of The Kingdom of Science, and aboard the Perseus.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gen understood now what his original lifestyle had been missing, the reason why he’d accepted it was over so easily, why he’d let it slip away like oil on water, without a moment of doubt. He had been lonely, he had been hiding himself from the world, and he had pretended he was someone he wasn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hadn’t had any friends, he hadn’t been able to spend time out and about, or talk to people. He’d been a celebrity, there are many drawbacks to that. He was still a celebrity in this world, he supposed. He was one of the five generals, everyone knew them, but they were respected, and treated, not like a different species, but with admiration. They were still humans, and everyone understood that. Not to mention, he’d been no different to the other villagers when he’d </span>
  <em>
    <span>first</span>
  </em>
  <span> joined the kingdom of science. That may have made a difference. Maybe it was because of the way Senku treated everyone equally, and how everyone just naturally followed his example. Gen wondered if Senku knew how much of an impact he made on the people around him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone had helped to change the loneliness and regret he’d felt. He wished he could have done more for them in return. He had been happy for the first time he could remember. He had been comfortable in himself. He was free to act how he wanted. Although despite that, he still put on a facade. Claimed it was for everyone’s good. Perhaps that was a stupid decision. He had been letting it down slightly more and more with certain people though. Around Senku especially, but also the other generals and his closest friends. If only they had been given more time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Would he have realised, in any other situation, how fortunate he was?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t moving in anyway, and neither was the stone, but the space felt like it was shrinking, closing in. He wanted to scream or yell or cry or </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He was fed up of being trapped. Fed up of himself, and his mind and his thoughts going on and on and on about what he hadn’t done and what he could have done differently and how terrible everything was and so on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>perhaps he should just let go. It would be easier.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had so many less regrets than he’d had before. He had friends, he’d experienced love and joy and happiness. Yet that seemed to make the remorse more prominent, more lively and so, so, so much more painful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He regretted not realising sooner how much everybody - not just Senku but </span>
  <em>
    <span>everybody </span>
  </em>
  <span>- meant to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He regretted not being able to tell them how much he cared for them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For not thanking everyone for how much they’d changed his life. Senku, Kohaku, Kaseki, Chrome, and god even Tsukasa. Everyone. - They’d all helped him so much, whether they realised it or not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Senku, he regretted not telling the most. He had made such an impact on Gen. Even if Gen had only just realised it, even if Senku never knew about it, the impact was there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gen regretted not understanding his feelings sooner, not being able to tell Senku, not just sooner, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>ever</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He hated that he’d never be able to act on those feelings, share them with Senku. He hated the fact that he’ll never get to be in love with Senku.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hated himself the most. It was his fault after all. He was the reason he was stuck with all this regret. Not just because he could have acted earlier and not feel so sorrowful, but because he was being the sentimental </span>
  <em>
    <span>bastard</span>
  </em>
  <span> who was making himself feel so shitty. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just a hopeless mind slowly breaking down in this pit of obscurity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Most clear in his mind was the lurch that had fucked everything up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The stumble that had shattered his heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Senku had been so confident, in himself and in his calculations. Maybe that was just a mask to motivate everyone else. Gen was certain he’d ignored any sign of that, he’d grabbed onto that string of hope because he wanted it to be true. He wanted them all to make it out safely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d seen Senku tripping over whatever it was, his arms and legs flying up instinctively to protect his face and abdomen from damage. The nitrate flying from his grasp. Clattering away as the radiating petrification reached Senku’s heel as the scientist crashed to the ground. He’d felt his heart shatter in that moment, all of his hope for everyone and everything lost. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then the stone closed over his eyes and the unending night had settled in.   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was an odd feeling, something he wasn’t used to at all, not having the reassuring thought that Senku would find a way to save them. He wondered if the others felt the same, if they knew. Were they conscious? Had they already drowned in this murky despondency? Were they waiting hopefully for Senku to come and free them, as confident as ever in his boundless mind? Had anyone seen as much as Gen had? Had they felt despair crash around them as the weak foundations of their expectations and trust in Senku, and science had been crushed under the pressure of the three-ringed ‘Medusa’? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What were their thoughts like? Were they as messy as Gen’s? Littered with regret, in a disarray of gratitude, hopelessness, love, despair and melancholy? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Were they recalling their days in the kingdom of science, looking back at the time they spent with their friends and family. Thinking of all the things they could have done differently? Were they remembering it positively, not letting it be tainted by the shadows of the human mind? Actually, Gen hoped that was what they were doing. He would never want his friends to be going through what he was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wanted to know if they were ok, though. God, he hoped they were alright. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The stone was really persistent. Why was it trying so hard to drag him away from reality? It was becoming more of a strain for Gen to keep himself awake. How long has it been now? If no one had come and broken them free by now, it was certain that he was right about what had happened. Not that he had ever doubted that everything was over. Why bother staying awake? It’s not as if there was another miracle cave nearby, that he’d just so happen to end up near enough to. For someone so unlucky, Senku really hit the jackpot there. Fate really worked in a funny way. What would the chances of them meeting in the old world have been? Would Gen ever have found someone who was so adept at changing the world? Perhaps they would have, in the future - if the world hadn’t turned to stone - like he had met Tsukasa, on a show, as an acquaintance. Probably nothing more. Never to talk again after that day. The world’s youngest genius, or some similar nickname. The public seemed to like them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was just another reason he preferred this new world. He got to know his dear Senku-chan. Knowing himself he would have tried to get to know Senku. Knowing Senku, it wouldn’t have worked. At least, it wasn’t likely to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gen smiled (not physically, of course). That was fine. It didn’t matter, he’d known Senku in this world, in the real world, and that was enough, he had been happy. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> happy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He let his consciousness slip away.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Please tell me if you think i should continue this and add a happy ending or not, because i have a way i could do that if i wanted to</p></blockquote></div></div>
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